Fall Weather Running

This is the time of year that gets exciting for me. The weather has finally broken and it’s actually comfortable to run outdoors. Indoors is another story. I’m never comfortable running indoors on a treadmill. It’s also that time of year where I start to build up my mileage to support a half marathon in October.

So I’m running a lot. Which brings up a more somber note. I may be tucking in my bike for the winter. Since I am focusing on running, I won’t have time to do any riding until after October 21. And by then, the time changes, gets darker earlier, and colder. I might be able to sneak one in on the weekends. We’ll see.

With the exception of increased joint point, running in cold is awesome. However, cycling in cold is awful.

My Sunday long run was 9 1/2 miles. When I got back to my car, I felt like I could keep going. Which is good because in a month I will need to go 4 miles farther! However, my shorter, 6 mile run last night was a little tough. The knees didn’t get warmed up until after about 30 minutes.

Oh, and I love my foam roller! My iliotibial band gets really tight and I need to watch that because I’ve had trouble with I.T. band syndrome in the past. I use the foam roller after my runs and on my non-run days. I highly recommend the practice, along with stretching.